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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26170543">we can't name it, kid</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PingPal15/pseuds/PingPal15'>PingPal15</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff and Humor, Gen, Pet Sitting, Peter Parker is a Mess, Peter is a Little Shit, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:33:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,484</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26170543</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PingPal15/pseuds/PingPal15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"I can barely manage a plant. What makes you think I can take care of a whole cat?"</p>
<p>Peter had the audacity to laugh. "Look, Mr. Stark, I'm sorry. I would go to May, but she has the night shift and isn't home, and Ned has an APUSH test tomorrow and needs to sleep, and MJ kinda hates my guts right now but that's not important!- you're my only option."</p>
<p>Tony held the phone away from his face. "Fuuuuuck." Putting it back against his ear, he said calmly, "Alright."</p>
<p>"I'll be there in 15 minutes!" Peter chirped before he hung up.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>116</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>we can't name it, kid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony had a good day.</p>
<p>His meeting went without a hitch, his headache all but disappeared thanks to his extra two hours of sleep and a glass of water, and he spent some time on a Facetime call with Pep, since she was off in London for a business trip he had no interest in.</p>
<p>Once his head hit the pillow, his phone buzzed relentlessly on the bedside table. He was in the middle of an important task called "getting  more than 3 hours of rest," which was very rare for him, but he'd learned from past experience that all notifications were important during Pete's patrolling hours. So, he grappled for his phone with clumsy hands and glanced at the bright screen with heavy eyelids. </p>
<p>The call was from Peter. Shit. He better not have a bullet in his shoulder again.</p>
<p>He didn't hesitate to press accept. "Kid?" He silently slipped out of bed, heartrate rising.</p>
<p>"Hey, Mr. Stark!" The voice of his intern answered. </p>
<p>Tony wilted a little in relief. He sounded unharmed. He rubbed his eyes, the initial worry wearing off. "Mind telling me why you're calling in the double digits of the pm?" He could hear the wind whistling on the other end. Pete was swinging around on patrol, as per usual.</p>
<p>"So, funny story--" Peter began, and Tony braces himself for a long rant, but all he says is, "--shoot. Sorry. Hold on." There's a weird whining sound and he makes cooing noises.</p>
<p>"What was that?"</p>
<p>"Agh, Mr. Stark, I-I know this is gonna sound weird, but I found this kitten walking around by herself all cold and-and I couldn't just leave her there--" his voice grows hushed, "--hey, hey, it's okay, shhh please stop meowing--"</p>
<p>Tony blinked. "Are you telling me you kidnapped a cat?"</p>
<p>"No, this-this isn't kidnapping!" It sounds like Peter lands somewhere and takes a few breaths. "She... she has cuts all over her torso and legs. She's not bleeding, but... I think a bunch of kids beat her up."</p>
<p>The whining only crescendos as the conversation goes on. Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling as if he'd wasted his efforts on sleeping; pain was slowly creeping back into his skull. "Just drop it off at the animal shelter and have them take care of it."</p>
<p>"I can't! It's so far from here and I only have a couple hours left of patrol and Karen said that the crime rate this month is up by 7%..." The wind picks up again as Peter gives excuses.</p>
<p>Tony sighs again, a bit louder this time, halting Peter mid-sentence. "What do you want me to do about it?" At Peter's drawn-out silence, he stops, realization dawning on him. "No. Nonono. Spidey, I'm not handling this animal for you."</p>
<p>"...I'm already halfway to your place," Peter responds sheepishly. </p>
<p>"Peter Benjamin Parker, I swear to God--" Tony cut himself off before his tone got too harsh. He rubbed at his temples with his free hand, elbows braced against the countertop he leaned against. "I can barely manage a plant. What makes you think I can take care of a whole cat?"</p>
<p>Peter had the audacity to laugh. "Look, Mr. Stark, I'm sorry. I would go to May, but she has the night shift and isn't home, and Ned has an APUSH test tomorrow and needs to sleep, and MJ kinda hates my guts right now but that's not important!- you're my only option."</p>
<p>Tony held the phone away from his face. "Fuuuuuck." Putting it back against his ear, he said calmly, "Alright."</p>
<p>"I'll be there in 15 minutes!" Peter chirped before he hung up.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>He could hear the loud meowing before they came in. "That must be the lovely siren you kidnapped."</p>
<p>"Didn't kidnap her, I rescued her." Peter muttered as he climbed in through the open window.</p>
<p>"Right, right, my mistake." Tony chuckled from the couch. The kid looked exhausted. </p>
<p>"She's been meowing on and off all night. It's how I found her." Peter gingerly placed her on the opposite couch as if any sudden movement could cause her to break. Tony was inclined to agree. Those cuts, although not deep enough to bleed, must've been a scary ordeal. That fact alone made Tony's heart ache a little.</p>
<p>Peter looked at Tony and said, "Do you know how to stop a kitten from being scared? Because nothing I tried worked. She just wore herself out after awhile..."</p>
<p>The little cat was indeed quiet now; it was as if the small light in her eyes was snuffed out. "I have an idea," Tony answered, already heading to another room. When he emerges, he's carrying a small Spider-Man chew toy.</p>
<p>Peter felt the corners of his lips tug upward, and it quickly turned into a shit-eating grin. "Aw, Mr. Stark, you buy my merch? I'm honored."</p>
<p>Against his will, Tony's face began to get red. "Shut up. It was a gag gift from Pep." He knelt in front of the little kitten and gingerly held it up, letting her sniff it curiously before moving to smell his hand.</p>
<p>Peter perked up suddenly. "Chewy!! I'll name her Chewy."</p>
<p>Tony blanched. "You can't name it, kid." He then turned to the cat in question, waving the toy in front of her face, feeling a small boost in serotonin (that he would never admit to) as her head followed its movements.</p>
<p>"You want the spider toy?" He asked Chewy. "This one is less annoying than the real thing."</p>
<p>Peter pointedly ignored that remark.</p>
<p>Chewy mewed and moved her little paws at it; a small attempt of an attack. Tony handed her the toy and she immediately pulled it closer, gripping it in her claws like a lifeline.</p>
<p>Peter grinned. "See, Mr. Stark? You're a natural."</p>
<p>Tony glared at him half-heartedly. "Don't you have patrol or something?"</p>
<p>Peter sighed and tugged his mask back on. "See that, that hurt my feelings." He hops to the window in front of them and swings it open easily, "Defend Chewy with your life!" Then he's swinging off with a small wave.</p>
<p>Tony rolls his eyes. Now by his lonesome, he glanced at the cat behind him, who's tackling the small plush over and over again, seemingly entertained. He debated between dropping it off at the shelter right away or waiting until morning.</p>
<p>Then he noted the time, and realized if he was going to get any sleep (which he desperately needed) then he'd have to wait until morning.</p>
<p>"Okay, Chewy. Time for me to go to sleep, so that means I have to find you a bed. Or a cardboard box. Whatever alley cats sleep in nowadays."</p>
<p>Chewy only acknowledged him with a big-eyed stare. </p>
<p>He sighed, and retrieved a couple slivers of cold ham - is this what cats eat? He hopes so - from the fridge in the adjacent room. Chewy had no problem leaving her plush behind as she follows him hungrily.</p>
<p>Tony has a few spare rooms, so he lets Chewy choose. It took in its environment, it seems, with a pinch of salt, and walked into the smallest room. Tony gently picks her up, trying to ignore how his heart pangs when the she flinches at the touch, and laid her down in bed.</p>
<p>Chewy snuggled right into a divot in the blankets, making herself comfortable. What a cute little kitten.</p>
<p>God, what has Peter done? Tony wonders. He's even resorted to bringing in tiny, defenseless animals for him to get attached to.</p>
<p>The kitten begins to purr. Tony wonders what she's been through. He turns off the light, noticing how her green eyes seem to light up in the darkness, and closes the door behind him.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>He woke up abruptly to a furry little creature climbing onto his bed, settling on his legs. He drifted back to sleep.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Tony never in his wildest dreams saw himself as a pet owner.</p>
<p>....But he didn't have the heart to bring Chewy to the animal shelter in the morning.</p>
<p>He ended up renovating the room Chewy chose that night into a cat paradise. He also researched everything there is to know about pet care.</p>
<p>Explaining this to Pepper was a challenge, but she became more open-minded after meeting the kitten in person.</p>
<p>Peter was ecstatic. "I know I said to defend Chewy with your life," he commented in the lab a couple weeks later, "but I never expected you to dedicate your life to her."</p>
<p>Tony rolled his eyes. "You're being dramatic."</p>
<p>"You designed and built a cat snack machine!!"</p>
<p>"That's just for convenience."</p>
<p>"A huge snack machine. Bigger than a regular vending machine. Accessible to cats."</p>
<p>"Sometimes I don't have time to feed her, or I forget."</p>
<p>"You've gotta admit, you went a bit extra." </p>
<p>"I'm Tony Stark. Extra is my middle name."</p>
<p>"...Touché."</p>
<p>Needless to say, Chewy fit in with his family just fine.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello wonderful people, this is my first post on AO3! You can also find me as PingGal15 on Wattpad. Any comments are appreciated! Thank you! 💖💖</p></blockquote></div></div>
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